Adult SPOA

Adult SPOA

The Single Point of Access (SPOA) for Adults in Chautauqua County is a result of the New Initiatives Approach, as supported by the New York State Office of Mental Health. The purpose of SPOA is to provide a centralized intake system whose focus is on improving and enhancing the capacity of the mental health system to provide case management, housing, and other critical supports to individuals with serious mental illness who have difficulty in managing day to day activities. The goal of this program is to ensure that referred individuals will be matched to the appropriate levels of service based on need. This system is accomplished through a triage process that prioritizes access to services using standardized referral information. Other objectives include:

Managing the resources in Chautauqua County for adults in the most effective manner ensuring that adults with the most needs get the services they require, and conversely, that these intensive services are reserved for the most needy individuals.

Adults, eighteen years or older, with a diagnosed serious mental illness who need ongoing support to live successfully in the community.

Process:

An adult client is referred to the SPOA program from any number of referral sources including: outpatient mental health clinics, inpatient mental health programs, drug and alcohol treatment, jail, Kendra's Law staff, probation, and medical personnel. The referral is sent to the SPOA staff who will review the referral information and present the referral at the next SPOA committee meeting. The committee is comprised of local treatment providers, case management and residential representatives who work together to determine the most appropriate level of care for the referred individual. The client being referred may also attend the meeting if they wish.

Levels of Case Management:

-The ACT Team- provided through Lakeshore Hospital. 366-4081

The ACT Program is a small, community-based mental health treatment team that provides a range of psychiatric treatment, as well as psychosocial and rehabilitation services to persons with serious and persistent mental illness. The ACT treatment team provides a long-term, intensive approach to clients in their own homes and communities. The ACT team works closely and individually with clients to help them learn skills to maintain stability and optimize functioning in the community, with the ultimate goal of preventing unneeded hospitalizations and improving quality of life. Staff includes a psychiatrist, nurse, social worker, peer advocates and counselors. Teams operate on a 24-hour, seven-day per week availability through Crisis Services.

Intensive case management programs were developed to assist persons with serious, persistent mental illnesses who have not successfully engaged in community based mental health services. Eligible clients must have a serious mental illness that impairs functioning in several essential areas of life, including self-care, social functioning, activities of daily living, economic self sufficiency, self direction and concentration. Target groups include (1) high risk/heavy users of inpatient units, emergency room and crisis services; (2) long term state psychiatric center patients, and (3) individuals with serious, persistent mental illnesses who also are or may be homeless. Intensive case managers do community outreach to engage clients; monitor and coordinate the client's community adjustment; provide crisis intervention; assist clients with on-going support, training and aid in the use of personal and community resources; and help in developing a range of community supports. Intensive case management

Operates on a 24-hour, seven-day per week availability through Crisis Services.

Supportive Case Management Program – provided through

Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene

Jamestown 661-8330

Dunkirk 363-3680

The supportive case management model is designed to coordinate services and supports for people diagnosed with mental illness. Clients of supportive case management programs, in general, are enrolled in community mental health programs (e.g., outpatient programs), and have some functional disability that requires support or intervention to live independently. Services are individually tailored to the circumstances, needs and desires of each person and use a rehabilitation-oriented approach. Among the services provided are (1) the facilitation of service delivery, including helping individuals make and keep appointments and escorting individuals to appointments as needed and arranging mental health, medical and psychiatric rehabilitation services; (2) advocating and assisting individuals to gain access to entitlement and other health services (e.g., Medicaid, food stamps, educational services, etc.); (3) assisting people in learning to use fiscal resources; and, (4) providing health promotion services or arranging for medication education that will help the person understand the importance of taking prescribed medication.